(The Girl at Midnight #1)
Author: Melissa Grey
Length: 365 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thank you, Random House/Delacorte Press!)
Read: March 2015
For readers of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones and Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, The Girl at Midnight is the story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war.
Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.
Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.
Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.
But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.
GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million
***I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
Wow! This story really surprised me. I really enjoyed reading The Girl at Midnight. Grey created a fascinating world. And the writing is so magical and beautiful. I had no difficulty getting into this story and picturing it in my head. It didn't take long for it to captivate me completely! I did not want to stop reading this book! I found The Girl at Midnight to be interesting and unique.
Below our world there is another world where two ancient races are caught up in an ancient war. The Avicen race are bird-like people and have feathers for hair and the Drakharin race are dragon-like people and have scales. The ancient war has been going on for years and there doesn't seem to be an end to it any time soon. When Echo was a little girl, she was discovered by the Ala, a member of the Avicen race. The Ala pretty much raised Echo and introduced her to the other Avicen. Now it is ten years later and Echo travels in between worlds surviving as a thief. After finding out that the Firebird will bring an end to the ancient war, Echo decides that she will do whatever she can to locate it and find a way to bring peace between the Avicen and Drakharin people.
I really loved everything about this story! There is so much happening in this story! It is full of action and adventure. And there is a bit of mystery as well, since Echo has to find the Firebird. I really liked the pacing as well. The world building really is fantastic! We get to see so many aspects. Not only do we see the world that the Avicen and Drakharin live in, we get to travel the "in between". We see these characters in our world as well, trying to stay hidden from sight. Also the magical aspects of the story. So neat!
The Girl at Midnight also gave me a lot of feelings. It made me laugh, worry, care, sad, and happy. It also made me swoon a little bit.
There is a little bit of romance in The Girl at Midnight, though I didn't find there to be a whole lot. I did enjoy the romance that there was and am very interested to see these parts developed more in the next book.
The characters are also excellent. It was so easy for me to like them and easy for me to care about them! Especially Echo. She is an awesome main character. She is tough and strong. She has wit and is full of banter. She made me laugh. Echo is loyal and really cares about her friends and the Avicen family. I love her friendships and relationships with the other characters in the story. Especially the ones that develop as the story progresses. Her friendship with Ivy being one of them.
I also really loved Caius. He is smart and clever. And he really cares about making things right. His relationships and friendships are also enjoyable. I like the friendship and camaraderie between him and Dorian. I loved the banter between him and Echo.
I really enjoyed getting to know more about each of the characters. And I am really looking forward to getting to know them more and find out what else will happen to them in the next book!
I do want to point out that:While looking at Goodreads (before starting the book) I accidentally saw a spoiler. So I already knew something that happens near the end. So I can't really comment on whether this element of the story surprised me or not. But even though I saw the spoiler, I still really enjoyed that aspect of the story and I am looking forward to the next book so I can find out what will happen next!
I really loved everything about this story! There is so much happening in this story! It is full of action and adventure. And there is a bit of mystery as well, since Echo has to find the Firebird. I really liked the pacing as well. The world building really is fantastic! We get to see so many aspects. Not only do we see the world that the Avicen and Drakharin live in, we get to travel the "in between". We see these characters in our world as well, trying to stay hidden from sight. Also the magical aspects of the story. So neat!
The Girl at Midnight also gave me a lot of feelings. It made me laugh, worry, care, sad, and happy. It also made me swoon a little bit.
There is a little bit of romance in The Girl at Midnight, though I didn't find there to be a whole lot. I did enjoy the romance that there was and am very interested to see these parts developed more in the next book.
The characters are also excellent. It was so easy for me to like them and easy for me to care about them! Especially Echo. She is an awesome main character. She is tough and strong. She has wit and is full of banter. She made me laugh. Echo is loyal and really cares about her friends and the Avicen family. I love her friendships and relationships with the other characters in the story. Especially the ones that develop as the story progresses. Her friendship with Ivy being one of them.
I also really loved Caius. He is smart and clever. And he really cares about making things right. His relationships and friendships are also enjoyable. I like the friendship and camaraderie between him and Dorian. I loved the banter between him and Echo.
I really enjoyed getting to know more about each of the characters. And I am really looking forward to getting to know them more and find out what else will happen to them in the next book!
I do want to point out that:While looking at Goodreads (before starting the book) I accidentally saw a spoiler. So I already knew something that happens near the end. So I can't really comment on whether this element of the story surprised me or not. But even though I saw the spoiler, I still really enjoyed that aspect of the story and I am looking forward to the next book so I can find out what will happen next!
My Recommendation:
Read it! I really enjoyed reading this magical story. The world and characters are very interesting and I had no trouble falling in love with The Girl at Midnight. I can't wait to find out what happens next!
This book definitely reminded me of a few different books that I have read and loved as well: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.
My Rating:
I am reading this at the moment and really enjoying it! I really like the characters and there is so much more humor than I expected in an Urban Fantasy type book. Great review!
ReplyDeleteCassi @ My Thoughts Literally